1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to complex-operation input devices that at least allows for rotating operation and sliding operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a known example of a complex-operation input device of this type has a configuration in which a shaft member is slidably supported by a slide recess in a fixed base, a slide sensor is mounted at the inner bottom of this slide recess. A rotation sensor is mounted on a substrate placed and fixed on the fixed base, and an operable knob is rotatably attached to the shaft member protruding upward from the slide recess in the fixed base (for example, see US Patent No. 2009/0001259 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-9865). In such a complex-operation input device, when the operable knob is rotated about the shaft member, a change in rotational position of the operable knob is detected by the rotation sensor on the substrate. On the other hand, the shaft member slides integrally with the operable knob, a change in slide position of the shaft member is detected by the slide sensor at the inner bottom of the slide recess.
Furthermore, regarding such a complex-operation input device that allows for sliding operation and rotating operation, a technology for eliminating interference between a plurality of switches to prevent malfunctions has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-16298). Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-16298 discloses a complex input device in which, even if a dial knob is rotated when the dial knob is in a slidably operated state, a signal corresponding to rotating operation is not output. Thus, if rotating operation is accidentally performed while sliding operation is being performed, the switches for rotating operation do not electrically function, thereby preventing the occurrence of interference between the switches.
In the complex-operation input device described above, since the plane of rotation of the operable knob rotating in response to rotating operation is parallel to the sliding direction in which the operable knob slides in response to sliding operation, displacement of the operable knob due to the sliding operation can result in a change in the detection state of the rotation sensor that detects rotation of the operable knob, possibly resulting in misdetection.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-16298 is configured to cancel a rotating-operation signal if the dial knob is slidably operated, but does not take into account the fact that the detection state of the rotation sensor undesirably changes prior to detection of the sliding operation.
Furthermore, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-16298, a slide detecting mechanism and a rotation detecting mechanism are connected in series. Therefore, when the dial knob is slidably operated, the rotation detecting mechanism stops electrically functioning, thus causing, for example, the detection state of the rotation sensor previously in an “ON” state to become an “OFF” state and possibly resulting in detection that the dial knob has been rotated. In order to prevent this malfunction, a further countermeasure is necessary.
By providing clicking mechanisms at different rotation angles of the dial knob and adjusting the position at which the dial knob stops at each rotation angle, the position of the rotation sensor, and the shape of a detected portion of the dial knob, a mechanical configuration for preventing the detection state of the rotation sensor from changing in response to sliding operation performed at each clicking position is also possible. However, this configuration has limitations in terms of design and leads to an increase in design load.
In view of the circumstances of the related art described above, the present disclosure provides a complex-operation input device that allows for rotating operation and sliding operation, in which misdetection of rotating operation during sliding operation is prevented, and the design load is reduced.
In the aforementioned complex-operation input device of the related art disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-9865, although the slide sensor and the rotation sensor are disposed on the same fixed base, the sensors are not necessarily disposed on the same surface on the fixed base. Instead, the former is mounted at the inner bottom of the slide recess in the fixed base, whereas the latter is mounted on the substrate on the fixed base. Therefore, the fixed base requires a reasonable thickness, disadvantageously leading to a hindrance to thickness reduction of the device. In addition, since insert terminals and harnesses for outputting the signals detected by the slide sensor and the rotation sensor to an external circuit are required, the cost of components and the cost of assembly can easily increase.
In view of the circumstances of the related art described above, the present invention provides a complex-operation input device that can readily achieve reduced thickness as well as reduced costs.